One Week Old Edit!!

I forgot one very important detail of my last post - the epidural!! I got one, it was great and made the waiting and pushing time no problem!

Thanks Sarah Jo for mentioning that very important part!!!

One Week Old!

I figure since our little girl is already a week old, I should probably dedicate a post just to her! Lily Green came to us (well we made her come to us) on Sunday, November 6th at 2:34 p.m. I was due on the 5th and since the next day my doctor was on call was the 6th, we decided that I should be induced then if she hadn't come already.

I sure am glad considering she was a whopping 9 pounds 7 ounces! She almost set the record for the biggest baby in the fam, but her aunt Ginny still holds that record at 9 lbs 9ozs.

The induction went pretty much as smoothly as possible- as soon as I started getting pitocin, I started having really regular, consistent contractions. So then we just waited and by the early afternoon, it was time to push. She came out with about two pushes and was ready to meet the world! She did have the cord around her neck but apparently that was no big deal and did not make any difference. Or at least the doctor made it seem that way, which is probably in his job description somewhere! I got to hold her right away which was awesome- with Tripp, he had to be suctioned out and examined by the NICU nurses so I did not get to hold him for a while. I will definitely not forget that experience with Lily.

We had some great days in the hospital while Tripp was taken care of by both sets of grandparents. He has loved her since the day she was born, and that has been a huge blessing.

I think the one thing he has shared the most with her is all his germs but I figure that is just the way it will be for the whole winter, so while I am a little bit of a stickler when it comes to things like the stomach flu or fevers, I think I have to give up most control of colds, stuffy noses, coughs, etc. It has been quite an adjustment to get used to not having much sleep but then having to take care of a toddler at the same time, but thankfully we have my family in town, my brother and sister-in-law and then Nelson's mom and sister coming for visits and then Tripp is going to keep going with my mom one morning a week and then to mom's day out two mornings a week, which should hopefully give me some time to rest (or clean or do laundry. Just kidding, that was a joke. I totally understand the importance of sleep)!! Well, speaking of sleep, I am going to go do that now! We love you little (or not so little) Lily and are so glad you are here as a part of our family!

Incredibly Blessed

I have been a bit overwhelmed the past few days, not by the fact that we have a newborn in the house, but by God's faithfulness and blessings that he has caused me to see (since I tend to get wrapped up in things about myself and forget about the fact that everything in my life is because of Him). The list could be really long but I will limit myself to the most prominent things. First, a husband who tirelessly serves his family, even when he is tired, sick and needing a break. He has done countless loads of laundry (more than normal with a newborn since we also have a toddler who has thrown up everywhere a few times in the past few days), washed many dishes, ran many errands, taken the aforementioned toddler and his baby sister to doctors appointments (because that little boy burned his hand just a few days before I gave birth) and more. He does it all without one complaint- he just keeps caring for and loving us. I have parents who are willing to take care of me and their brand new (and sometimes crying) granddaughter at the "Kling Hotel" (their house) because we need to be quarantined while the stomach bug runs its way through our family. I have in-laws who love and care about us enough to drive 20 hours over the course of 48 hours to see their new granddaughter and welcome her into the world (and also bring their grandson probably the best present he has ever gotten). I have siblings (plural cause I am including my siblings-in-law) who love us and are faithful to pray for us during these demanding times. We have friends and a church family who have provided meals, prayers, emails, visits and wonderful pictures of our baby girl for us. I have a son who despite his sicknesses over the course of the week, loves his sister deeply and wants to do all he can to care for her. And of course, we have this new life in our family- little Lily Green who is the perfect addition to family. And yes it is crazy, tiring and sometimes totally overwhelming, I have been able to see God's blessings to us through all of this. And I am incredibly thankful.

T-10 days

So there are about 10 days till this baby's due date. Well, technically 11 but since today is almost over, I am saying 10. I am definitely feeling a little (ok- a lot) overwhelmed when it comes to handing off my job responsibilities, but other than that, I think we are ready. Maybe I should define "ready." We have a place for her to sleep with clean sheets. That's all. Oh wait, we thankfully have some clothes people got us. Ok, now that's all. But I am pretty sure that means we are ready. I mean, that is what it is supposed to be like for a second child right? Her clothes are currently in Nelson's dresser,

I did get the car seat out finally (although someone thinks it is a big toy)

and we found some old pacifiers that I made sure to clip on with her brother's old paci clip.

Meanwhile, Tripp's love of little guys has continued to blossom and now he has a "suitcase" to keep them contained (although I am not sure what will happened when a little baby goes through the "let's put every small thing in our mouths" phase).

and I have been doing some baking. Thankfully, Nelson found an awesome recipe for pumpkin pie in my America's Test Kitchen cookbook and it resulted in one of the best pumpkin pies ever.

Now, I don't exactly have the energy to type it all up here, so if you want the recipe for the best pumpkin ever, you probably need to go check the cookbook out from the library or just buy it because you will have some of the best recipes to everything imaginable.

And that's about all that we have been up to, except waiting for this little girl to join the family! and we will be sure to keep everyone updated!

A Glimpse into Tripp's mind

Sometimes he has on his cranky pants, sometimes his whiny pants, but today it was the sassy pants-

Me: "What did you do today buddy?"

Tripp: "Daddy already told you while we were in the car."

Me: "What did you have for lunch today?"

Tripp: "You already know because you told Margaret Lee what I should have. Except I did not want that jambalaya, I just wanted my banana."

Well, ok then. And how do you keep a straight face during those kinds of responses??

Quotables

A few more quotables

Tonight's bedtime stall tactic: "Something's wrong with me. I need some water, a bath, and some medicine to feel me better."

Me: Who was at school with you today?
Tripp: Gaby, Owen, Cranky, Annaliese...

Me: How was your day at school today?
Tripp: Not good.
Me: Oh no, why?
Tripp: Cause I didn't hit anyone, I was just friendly and kind.

Grandparents

While I wish it was possible for us to live close to both sets of grandparents, for now I hope I never take it for granted that we at least live close to two of the four. Days like this last Sunday happened to be pretty rough for me (pregnancy related sickness again...) so it is an incredible help to have parents who love to be with Tripp and even like having him spend the night!! My dad came up with the idea of going paddleboating in Forest Park and Tripp had an awesome time. I think he especially liked the fact that he just got to ride and his Nonny and Papa did all the work. Nelson and I got to enjoy a night of rest (ok, we really ran like 6 errands but it is amazing how those can even be restful when you have time to talk and don't have to worry about dinner time or bedtime). Grandparents are definitely a blessing!!